


washijou tanji is a piece of shit

by abidoozer



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Corporal Punishment, Crying, Drabble Collection, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Protective Shirabu Kenjirou, Protective Tendou Satori, Protective Ushijima Wakatoshi, Shiratorizawa, Trauma, Vignette, i guess, i hate coach washijou, i think, oohira reon is a sweetheart, this is just a series of washijou being a bastard, washijou sucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29923371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abidoozer/pseuds/abidoozer
Summary: basically this is a set of vignettes for different members of shiratorizawa and about how washijou is an awful coach.lots of angst and probably grammar mistakes**lowercase intended**
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	washijou tanji is a piece of shit

nobody noticed it the first time.

or rather they did, but didn’t think much of it. ushijima was the one to keep the most watchful eye on him. he noted the way his lips would tug down into a blank expression immediately after cheering about something or other, like he was too tired to pull any type of enthusiasm for longer than absolutely necessary. he understood that it doesn’t feel good to be scolded, and that maybe tendou was simply bummed out for a bit. everything would go back to normal and he’d bounce back at some point in the next hour. that was what he believed, and like a placebo, he believed that tendou’s jovial teasings and usual oddities returned back at full force just like normal.

nobody noticed until the end of practice and they headed back to their dorms feeling strangely unfulfilled. like a certain instrument wasn’t playing it’s part or a bulb wasn’t screwed in correctly.

tendou strolled along, oddly quiet—ushijima simply chalked it up to the late practice and general weariness—and staring at his fingers wrapped in bandages.

“hey, miracle boy?” his voice cut through the night air, ushijima couldn’t tell if the tinniness in his tone was in his imagination or not.

he simply hummed in response.

“do…” tendou never usually hesitates with anything, “do you remember when we first met?”

“of course.”

a slow silence played out, almost as if he wasn’t sure what he even wanted to say next. or rather what he should. “i was a bit scared of you at first, you know?”

ushijima turned his head to him in surprise but didn’t say anything, merely prompting him with his attention alone.

“you were big, strong… handsome~” he winked in an attempt to lighten the mood, but his joking demeanor was halfhearted. “i was just the freak. and when you walked over to me, i thought you were going to hurt me like everybody else.”

ushijima didn’t know what to say; and he wished he was reon, or goshiki, or anybody who actually knew how to amicably glide through conversations with an ease he did not possess.

“i have a scar on the back of my head ya’ know. some kid pushed me down, and the others started kicking. one good boot, and i was out like a light. i can’t even remember the kids’ faces or how the whole thing started.” tendou’s catlike mouth stretched into a closed smile that was entirely void of any mirth or humorous intent. a huff escaped him like he was trying to convince himself to laugh. it didn’t work and they both fell into silence all the way back to the dorm.

the next time, they noticed it. not even two days later and washijou was laying into him again.

“damn, coach is really being hard on tendou today, huh?” semi voiced out as the team watched from across the court, disguising it as a water break.

goshiki furrowed his brows in worry. tendou was always one of the few who openly looked out for him, even if in his own weird, eccentric way. his frown deepened even more thinking about how it wasn’t even tendou’s fault. he failed to receive a ball that he had mistaken as out, and before washijou could start yelling at him, tendou spoke up and said that he served it out of bounds and that “mr. future ace made the right call.”

coupling this with the couple of blocks he missed and the receive that he flubbed (it was saved by hayato anyway), coach was berating him for every mistake of the day.

they watched with light discontent as he was smacked in the back of the head, hard, to emphasize whatever criticism washijou was making. (something about using that demented skill of his, the only purpose he has on this team, anyway). they watched in light pain as washijou slammed his foot into tendou’s, making them all curl their toes as if it were them. (something about using his goddamn feet, what’s the point of looking like a lanky freak if he’s not gonna put it to good use). they watched with slight frowns as he forcefully grabbed tendou’s hands, spreading his bruised fingers apart. (something about demonstrating the correct way to do a block, because obviously he’s too stupid to remember the basics).

they watched as tendou remained completely expressionless, his eyes distant as if reliving a memory that he didn’t want to be in either. they watched as he walked his way back to them after his scolding was finished. they watched as his hands lightly twitched and his right leg seemed to shake while he fixed them all with a zero watt smile.

“c’mon grumpy pants, let’s get back to work!” he was teasing shirabu, who for once didn’t have anything judgemental or scathing to say and instead walked away with a huff and a “hurry up, goshiki needs to practice his receives but i can set a few balls for him so you can block.”

semi sat down his water bottle and jogged over to him. “semisemi! do you still have band practice tonight?” tendou cheerfully asked to which he responded with a simple nod and a question about an anime—that he may or may not have already known tendou was interested in—because “he’s seen it on netflix and wants to know if it’d be worth it to watch.”

goshiki started humming and tendou’s ears immediately picked it up. “oh~? is that what i think it is young grasshopper?” he questions twittingly. goshiki smiles bashfully at him and confirms, singing it along with tendou as he allows his hits to falter slightly since he’s “not sure of the words.”

despite their measures to reassure him, that certain flicker in his eyes doesn’t return for the rest of practice, and he doesn’t leave the gym with ushijima like usual. reon and taichi exchange curious yet knowing glances. it’s no secret to anybody on the team that tendou used to get bullied pretty severely, but it never really mattered to anyone. he was the light of the team, the only one willing to provide support and enthusiasm on the court. even when he acted odd or borderline annoying, his presence was appreciated. to have it dulled like this even with his own attempts at an empty brightness, was jarring, to say the least.

it was two months later that there was something they couldn’t help but notice.

tendou was back to himself. it took him a couple days after each punishment where he wouldn’t act fully like normal. he would look off absentmindedly when nobody was doing anything and lift his hand to the back of his head. there would be a lull in the conversation and he wouldn’t fill it with his usual asinine but enjoyable chatter. but here was, poking fun at everyone with his ludicrous nicknames and cheshire-like smile. ushijima was thankful for this, because he wasn’t sure how long he could handle hearing tendou tossing and turning all night as if trying to hide from his own dreams.

it was a simple scrimmage between the team. tendou was captain of his side while ushijima was captain of his. tendou’s team was losing and he was doing what he should never be doing: thinking about his next play. it was reon’s spike. he hesitated for a second, and jumped late; and with a sickening crack, his ring finger was dislocated. the ball hit the floor and everybody stood still for a moment. shirabu was the one to take the first step toward him to see if he was okay but was interrupted by washijou’s stern voice echoing throughout the gym.

“satori.” his frown and eyebrows were both deeply furrowed. tendou slowly stepped toward him and everyone got the feeling he wasn’t calling him over out of worry for his fingers. “what in the hell was that?”

“i… hesitated, sir,” his voice was uncharacteristically quiet and hollow.

“you know the only reason i’ve got you on this team is because of your freak skill, right?” tendou only nodded slowly and mumbled out a “yes, sir.” washijou’s glare cut through him for a couple of seconds. “give me your hands,” he demanded forcefully.

tendou extended his hands out, fingers splayed slightly, and left hand throbbing. his finger was still bent in a way that caused an unsettled pit to make home in taichi’s stomach. he knew how much it hurt to dislocate a finger, even if he was never injured as much as tendou was. washijou put his hand underneath tendou’s left one, almost as if he was inspecting it. then, without warning, a harsh _smack_ was sounded when washijou rapped the ruler that nobody noticed he had against his fingers.

tendou didn’t know if he even made a sound, he was entirely too focused on the hot searing pain that traveled up his digits and made his whole hand feel like it had an electrical current running through it. when washijou made quick work of the other one, he could hardly even notice. even more so when washijou continued with his beratement.

“useless.”

“monster.”

“idiot.”

“waste of space.”

“nobody wants you here.”

“you’re so annoying.”

“leave me alone.”

tendou could only stand in slight shock as his eyes glazed over, unfocused on anything except the deep ache of his fingers.

“what’s the point of constantly acting like a backasswards fool and being a nuisance to everyone if you’re not even going to help the team?”

everybody stood with their eyes widened and concern nestled its way into their chests at the sight of tendou.

there were two things that happened that day that the rest of the team could never imagine seeing.

first, the tears that started to stream down tendou’s cheeks as his shoulders hunched and shook. his breaths shuddering and stretched open eyes glancing wildly back and forth like he was being surrounded and he needed to make an escape.

second, ushijima marching up to washijou with his fists clenched and the most angered scowl on his face that the team had ever seen. scratch that, the only angry look that they’ve ever seen their captain and ace make.

“coach,” ushijima’s deep voice boomed with barely concealed rage, “i think that’s enough.”

washijou merely raised an eyebrow as he looked up into ushijima’s steely hazel gaze. his left eye twitched and with a grunt he turned away, saying that practice was over for the day and to get tendou to the nurse. as soon as the coach left the gym, reon and goshiki hurried over to tendou, carefully checking up on him. semi and taichi, along with the rest of the first years, cleaned up the gym as fast as possible. hayato stood a couple feet behind reon, making sure he wasn’t crowding. and shirabu simply stood in the same spot, teeth clenched into a grimace.

tendou shook where he stood, right hand clutching at the back of his head and his left hand curled into his chest. goshiki’s eyes gained a glassy sheen just at the sight of the most cheerful and boisterous member of the team, who loved to look out for everybody, acting like an animal who had been backed up into a corner. reon focused on saying gentle words, trying to guide him back into even breaths. it was eventually ushijima who fully snapped him out of it when he softly laid a hand on his shoulder. tendou’s head snapped up, eyes blown with seemingly terror until they locked onto ushijima’s. finally, reon’s instructions became audible to him and with his help, he was finally able to calm down his hyperventilating to a couple hiccups. when the gym was cleaned up, taichi took tendou’s shoulder to guide him to the nurse’s office, semi leading, and the rest of the team following. as everybody made their way out of the gymnasium doors, and goshiki’s frantic chattering was no longer within earshot, only two people were left standing on the court.

ushijima strode over beside shirabu, both not looking at the either or making any move for conversation.

“i swear i’m gonna kill him,” shirabu finally muttered after what felt like ten minutes.

ushijima let out an exhale that was neither agreement nor opposition.

shirabu’s fists were balled up and if ushijima was watching, he would’ve seen frustrated tears well up in his eyes. but he didn’t exactly need to be looking to tell.

“that fucking—he’s such a goddamn _clown_ and an _idiot_ and he’s way too fucking _loud_ all the time, but if i _ever_ see him cry again i’m burning the entire goddamn gym down.”

ushijima just laid his hand on shirabu’s shoulder.

the younger setter spun around to meet the older spiker’s eyes, both sets darkened with a sense of fury and helplessness. one’s face twisted into a splotchy glower and the other’s with his mouth turned into a frown and eyebrows lowered. “and next time, it’ll be _me_ to tell the coach off! and unlike you i won’t be fucking nice!”

ushijima blinked before his scowl softened and his lips twitched up into a small determined smile. “i hope so. but while i’m still captain, allow me to do the telling off.” and with that, he walked out of the gym to go get this week’s shonen jump.

**Author's Note:**

> tendou is one of my favs so i really had a lot to say lol. next up is the baby boy goshiki ;)
> 
> hope u enjoyed(?)


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